What are our emotions telling us?
Positive emotions, i.e. those the make us feel good, are basically signals which are dopaminergic, they are an incentive reward, based upon our value system and tell us to move forward, they are pleasing to us, they make us happy and tell us to move forward and repeat the experience we have just had. If we do not have a value system then we will not experience positive emotions.
Negative emotions are the opposite, they are displeasing and tell us to go backwards and not to repeat the experience we have just had. They make us unhappy.
There is an emotional response to experience, which sits in-between those that are positive and those that are negative. It is a response to something that sits outside of our value system. These are intermediate emotions and they tell us to STOP. We are not where we think we are! These emotions tell us that we do not know what to do. It is these intermediate emotions that lead to anxiety. Anxiety is not knowing what to do.
Our idea of what is supposed to happen is just not producing the desired outcome we seek from our value system, experience or a set of experiences. Our brain is confused and needs to send signals to prepare the body. It is asking itself “what shall I do, shall I go forwards or backwards?”. But it does not have the answer. We don’t know. If we don’t know where to go, there is no point in going anywhere. Then what? Our brain sends signals to our body to prepare, but prepare for what? Well, prepare for anything – prepare for everything. This state is extremely demanding both psychologically and physiologically.
Imaging running your home’s heating or cooling system constantly, without a thermostat to switch it off, the environment becomes uncomfortable and the cost becomes too expensive. When anxiety kicks in, in a repeated and uncontrolled way, the environment is your mind and the cost is the long term impact on the body.
Our body is revved up and starts to burn our resources like crazy, it’s a very unpleasant state to be in. Your body is in a bio-mechanical state that is optimised for quick action but it is toxic if you are in it fo any length of time.
It isn’t that this state just makes us feel bad, it hurts us, it can damage us, it makes us age, it can make us fat which may lead to diabetes. It will suppress our immune system so we are more likely to develop illnesses. It will damage the hippocampus area of our brain, this may lead to an increased risk of Alzheimers.
Basically, anxiety has sped up the running of our machinery and is burning our resources faster than we are able to replenish them. It is not a state we can tolerate, nor is it a state we can live in. We are in a constant state of readiness, ready to fight, flee, freeze or respond. Which response should we choose. In short, we just don’t know.
What is the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response?
Anxiety can make a person imagine that things in their life are worse than they really are, and prevent them from confronting their fears. Often they will think they are going mad, or that some psychological imbalance is at the heart of their woes. What is important is the recognition that anxiety is normal and exists due to a set of bodily functions that have existed in us from our cave-man days.
Back then, we were equipped with an internal alarm system designed to protect us from the dangers surrounding us in the wild. This system would make us hyper-alert by giving us a boost of adrenaline that would increase the heart rate and boost the amount of oxygen going to our limbs so we were better able to fight or run from danger. This is known as the “fight or flight” response. The “butterflies in the stomach” feeling that many associate with anxiety is this mechanism kicking in, but instead of being used to avoid immediate danger, it is often wrongly and inappropriately activated in a person during normal, everyday situations when stress has built up, often unknowingly.
Like all animals, human beings have evolved ways to help us protect ourselves from danger. When we feel under threat our bodies react by releasing certain hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones:
• make us feel more alert, so we can act faster
• make our hearts beat faster, quickly sending blood to where it’s needed most.
After we feel the threat has passed, our bodies release other hormones to help our muscles relax. This can sometimes cause us to shake.
This is commonly called the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response – it’s something that happens automatically in our bodies, and we have no control over it.
One in six people in the past week experienced a common mental health problem such as depression or anxiety. It is also likely that individuals do not seek help for significant levels of anxiety, meaning many remain without diagnosis or treatment.
So, what exactly is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal, if unpleasant, part of life, and it can affect us all in different ways and at different times. Whereas stress is something that will come and go as the external factor causing it (be it a work, relationship or money problems, etc.) comes and goes, anxiety is something that can persist whether or not the cause is clear to the sufferer.
Anxiety is what we feel when we are worried, tense or afraid – particularly about things that are about to happen, or which we think could happen in the future. Anxiety is a natural human response when we perceive that we are under threat. It can be experienced through our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations.
“For me, anxiety feels as if everyone in the world is waiting for me to trip up, so that they can laugh at me. It makes me feel nervous and unsure whether the next step I take is the best way forward. Most people feel anxious at times. It’s particularly common to experience some anxiety while coping with stressful events or changes, especially if they could have a big impact on your life” (Anon).
Some people have a very identifiable cause for their anxiety; a traumatic incident, lots of stressors or have undergone a significant life event (moving house, getting divorced, having surgery). However, some people don’t have an identifiable cause for their anxiety and it causes them some distress. One way of thinking about your anxiety is to imagine your stress levels as being like a bucket of water. If we keep adding stressors to the bucket (even tiny ones like the school run or commuting to work), over time it fills up until one day it overflows. This can be a good way of looking at anxiety as it explains why sometimes it can seem to come out of the blue with no significant trigger. However, what has happened is that the trigger was just a very small stressor that tipped us over the edge and allowed our bucket to overflow. What we need is a leaky bucket with lots of holes in to reduce your overall stress levels.
What are the signs and symptoms?
For people with an anxiety disorder, feelings like stress, panic and worry are longer lasting, more extreme and far harder to control. Symptoms may also include feeling restless or agitated, panic attacks, having trouble concentrating or sleeping, sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness and heart palpitations.
People often experience physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms when they feel anxious or stressed.
Some of the most common physical symptoms of anxiety are:
Increased heart rate
Increased muscle tension
“Jelly legs”
Tingling in the hands and feet
Hyperventilation (over breathing)
Dizziness
Difficulty in breathing
Wanting to use the toilet more often
Feeling sick
Tight band across the chest area
Tension headaches
Hot flushes
Increased perspiration
Dry mouth
Shaking
Choking sensations
Palpitations
Some of the most common psychological symptoms (the thoughts or altered perceptions we have) of anxiety are:
Thinking that you may lose control and/or go “mad”
Thinking that you might die
Thinking that you may have a heart attack/be sick/faint/have a brain tumour
Feeling that people are looking at you and observing your anxiety
Feeling as though things are speeding up/slowing down
Feeling detached from your environment and the people in it
Feeling like wanting to run away/escape from the situation
Feeling on edge and alert to everything around you
The most common behavioural symptom (the things we do when we are anxious) is avoidance. Although avoiding an anxiety provoking situation produces immediate relief from the anxiety, it is only a short term solution. This means that whilst it may seem like avoiding is the best thing to do at the time, the anxiety often returns the next time that you face the situation and avoiding it will only psychologically reinforce the message that there is danger. The problem with avoidance is that you never get to find out whether your fear about the situation and what would happen is actually true.
Anxiety and problem solving
In order to resolve arguments effectively and without causing further damage, it is important to reduce the issue to the micro level. Ask yourself (or the person you are experiencing conflict with), “what is the minimum required by one or the other or both, to reach an appropriate and satisfactory solution”? Understand that anxiety often prevents this from happening. As we are in an anxious state we are also in an emotional state, this then may cause us to raise the heat to inferno level.
What are the causes of anxiety?
Feelings of anxiety can be caused by lots of things and vary according to what we’re worried about and how we act when we feel apprehensive. They depend on lots of things such as:
Our genes
How we were brought up
Our life experiences
The way we learn and cope with things.
Just knowing what makes us anxious and why can be the first steps to managing anxiety.
When is anxiety a mental health problem?
Anxiety can become a mental health problem if it impacts on our ability to live our life as fully as we want to. For example, it may be a problem for us if:
Our feelings of anxiety are very strong or last for a long time
Our fears or worries are out of proportion to the situation
We avoid situations that might cause us to feel anxious
Our worries feel very distressing or are hard to control
We regularly experience symptoms of anxiety, which could include panic attacks
We find it hard to go about our everyday life or do things you enjoy.
If our symptoms fit a particular set of medical criteria then we might be diagnosed with a particular anxiety disorder. But it’s also possible to experience problems with anxiety without having a specific diagnosis.
What are the types of anxiety disorders?
Anxiety is a key part of several different disorders. These include:
Panic disorder: experiencing recurring panic attacks at unexpected times. A person with panic disorder may live in fear of the next panic attack.
Phobia: excessive fear of a specific object, situation, or activity.
Social anxiety disorder: extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder: recurring irrational thoughts that lead you to perform specific, repeated behaviours.
Separation anxiety disorder: fear of being away from home or loved ones.
illness anxiety disorder: anxiety about your health (formerly called hypochondria).
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): anxiety following a traumatic event.
So, how can we treat our anxiety?
Fear and anxiety can affect all of us every now and then. Most people get through passing moments of anxiety with no lasting effect. People experiencing anxiety in their everyday lives often find the personal resources to cope through simple remedies.
Helping ourselves
Talking it through; Although it can be difficult to open up about feeling anxious, it can be helpful to talk to friends, family or someone who has had a similar experience. Although we might feel embarrassed or afraid to discuss our feelings with others, sharing can be a way to cope with a problem and being listened to can help us feel supported.
Face your fear; By breaking the cycle of constantly avoiding situations that make us anxious, we are less likely to stop doing the things we want, or need, to do. The chances are the reality of the situation won’t be as bad as we expect, making us better equipped to manage, and reduce, our anxiety.
Know yourself; Make a note of when we feel anxious, what happens and the potential triggers. By acknowledging these and arming ourselves with tips to deal with these triggers, we will be better prepared in anxiety-inducing situations.
Relax; Learning relaxation techniques can help us calm feelings of anxiety. Practices like yoga, meditation or massage will relax our breathing and help us manage the way we feel about stressful experiences.
Exercise; Even small increases in physical activity levels can trigger brain chemicals that improve our mood, wellbeing and stress levels. This can act as a prevention and treatment for anxiety as well as lead to improved body-image, self-esteem and self-worth.
Healthy eating; Eat lots of fruit and vegetables and try to avoid too much sugar. Very sweet foods cause an initial sugar ‘rush,’ followed by a sharp dip in blood sugar levels which can give us anxious feelings. Caffeine can also increase anxiety levels so try to avoid drinking too much tea or coffee too.
Avoid alcohol or drink in moderation; It’s very common for people to drink alcohol when they feel nervous to numb their anxiety, however the effect that alcohol has on how we feel is only temporary. When it wears off we feel worse, potentially more anxious, and our brain will be less able to deal with anxiety naturally.
Faith / spirituality; If we are religious or spiritual, it can help us feel connected to something bigger than ourselves. It can provide a way of coping with everyday stress. Church and other faith groups can be a valuable support network.
Talking to someone
If we feel anxious all the time, for several weeks or if it feels like our anxiety is taking over your life, then it’s a good idea to ask for help.
Talking therapies: Counselling or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) are very effective for people with anxiety problems, CBT helps people to understand the link between negative thoughts and mood and how altering their behaviour can enable them to manage anxiety and feel in control.
Mindfulness is a variation of CBT focusing on changing the relationship between the individual and their thoughts. Using meditation can help people be ‘mindful’ of their thoughts and break out of a pattern of negative thinking.
Guided self-help is usually based on CBT methods and aims to helps us understand the nature of our anxiety and equip us with the necessary skills to cope with it. This works by educating us to challenge unhelpful thinking, evaluate our symptoms and gradually expose ourselves to the source of our anxiety.
Medication is used to provide short-term help, rather than as a cure for anxiety problems. Drugs may be most useful when they are combined with other treatments or support, such as talking therapies.
Support groups are designed for us to learn a lot about managing anxiety from asking other people who have experienced it. Local support or self-help groups bring together people with similar experiences to share stories, tips and try out new ways of managing their worries. Our doctor, library or local citizens advice bureau will have details of support groups near us.
There are also lots of things we can do ourselves to help ease our anxiety. For example:
Assign times when we’re allowed to sit and worry. Some people find it helps to write their worries down or set a timer.
Try doing some deep breathing exercises to help you relax. The NHS website has some you can try out.
Some people also find relaxing exercises such as yoga or pilates can help.
Set realistic goals, then set incremental steps to achieve these goals.
You could also try to come up with a list of healthy ways to relax and do at least one a day, such as:
Going for a walk
Having a long bath
Watching a movie
Listening to music
Dancing
Having a bite to eat with a friend or partner
Volunteering
If you have panic attacks, try keeping a diary to help you spot situations that may trigger them.
Chris Enness
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